Kanji - Level 12 - Kanji

Question 1

悪

Answer 1

Bad
Radicals: 亜 Asia + 心 heart
In Asia they assume everyone’s heart is automatically bad and evil.
Reading: あく, お
Luckily, people in Asia know how to get the evil badness out of your heart with acupuncture (あく).

Question 2

息

Answer 2

Breath
Radicals: 自 self + 心 heart
Imagining one’s self without a heart can make it hard to draw breath. Without a heart, you’d have no blood pumping and you would start to die. This would make it increasingly harder to draw breath and get oxygen to stay alive.
Reading: そく
You know how when people are unconscious and their breath slows or comes to a stop, they use smelling salts to revive them? Well a smelly sock (そく) can work just as well. Socks get really stinky and their stench is powerful enough to revive someone who isn’t drawing breath.

Question 3

章

Answer 3

Chapter
Radicals: 立 stand + 早 early
You stand at a podium early in the morning to practice reading the chapter from your latest book.
Reading: しょう
You’re practicing this specific chapter because you’ve been asked to read it for the Shougun (しょう). There will be a bunch of other authors reading chapters of their books to him too, and you want to make a good impression.

Question 4

登

Answer 4

Climb
Radicals: 癶 tent + 豆 beans
You’re in a tent eating beans because you’re trying to climb a mountain! When you climb, you sleep in a tent and eat only beans (the ultimate climbing food).
Reading: とう, と
You climb and climb and climb until you finally reach… とうきょう! At the top of this mountain you’ve been climbing you can see all of とうきょう. It’s beautiful! It’s breathtaking! All your climbing makes this view of とうきょう even more worthwhile!

Question 5

寒

Answer 5

Cold
Radicals: 宀 roof + 𡗗 spring + 冫ice
The roof, even though it’s almost spring, is still covered in ice so it’s cold. Inside the house is cold, outside the house is cold. Everything is cold!
Reading: さむ
You can’t stand the cold anymore, so you hire a samurai (さむ) to come try to hack the ice off of your roof with his sword. You stand outside shivering, and watching as the samurai tries to stab the ice off of your roof.

Question 6

深

Answer 6

Deep
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 兀 pi + 木 tree
The force of a tsunami is enough to put a gash in a tree about pi (3.14) feet deep. Tsunamis are pretty powerful, so the force of the water alone is enough to cut into a tree several feet deep.
Reading: しん
Some tsunamis cut so deep that they flat out chop the tree right off its stump. In areas like this, you have to be careful not to bang a shin (しん) on them. These stumps are right about shin height, so you want to be cautious when walking around them as to not injure yourself.

Question 7

倍

Answer 7

Double
Radicals: ｲ leader + 咅 clown
A leader who hires his own personal clown will likely double his entertainment. Clowns are funny and make people laugh, so the leader decided to hire one. Since that time, the leader’s amount of mirth has doubled.
This also means times, which makes sense when you think about the kind of math you’ll need to double something. What is A * 2? It’s A doubled, first of all, but you’re using multiplication. You’re “timesing” something.
Reading: ばい
When the clown stops being funny, it’s time to say bye (ばい). At first, the clown doubled the leader’s entertainment, but now the clown is just annoying. It’s time to say bye-bye.

Question 8

勉

Answer 8

Exertion
Radicals: 免 excuse + 力 power
You’ll have to excuse me, having all this power puts a lot of strain and exertion on my body. My power comes from exertion of muscle, so please excuse me if I start to perspire.
Reading: べん
Excuse me, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet. My name is Ben (べん) and I use powerful muscle exertion to accomplish every task. Ben knows what Ben wants and how to get it. Remember that, kids.

Question 9

消

Answer 9

Extinguish
Radicals: 氵tsunami + ⺌ triceratops + 月 moon
A long time ago a huge tsunami swept a triceratops up into the moon and extinguished its life.
Reading: しょう
This famous event where almost all life was extinguished is reenacted every year for the Shougun (しょう). He’s got a bit of an unhealthy obsession with extinguishing life…

Question 10

祭

Answer 10

Festival
Radicals: 月 moon + 又 stool + 示jackhammer
Under the moon, there’s a stool with a jackhammer on it. It’s all there for the festival. Festivals need activities, and at this festival, you can stand on a stool in the moonlight and use a jackhammer to make a lot of noise. Perfect for a festival!
Reading: さい
This festival is for cyborgs (さい) only. Picture the cyborg you made getting excited that you’re taking it to the festival. That’s why all of the activities have to do with heavy machinery. The rides are mostly just cyborgs letting other people ride them, but it’s still pretty fun.

Question 11

野

Answer 11

Field
Radicals: 里 village + 予 beforehand
The village beforehand (what the village was before it was a village) was a field.
Reading: や
On this field, the Yankees (や) used to play.

Question 12

階

Answer 12

Floor
Radicals: 阝building + 比 compare + 白 white
Look at a building and compare the white parts. Each of those white parts is a floor. Multi-story buildings have tons of different floors that you can see from the outside.
Reading: かい
You need to use your ability to tell where floors are from the outside of the building to find the story that lets kayaks (かい) in. You’re coming from the side of the building surrounded by water, so you need to find the kayak floor to get in.

Question 13

庭

Answer 13

Garden
Radicals: 广 canopy + 廴 yoga + 王 king
There’s a canopy and a man called the Yoga King standing in the middle of your garden.
Reading: てい
Not only is this Yoga King taking over your garden, but he’s ordering you to serve food to his class. “You there, peasant, fetch these people your freshest tater (てい) tots from this puny garden to give them strength.”

Question 14

港

Answer 14

Harbor
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 共 together + 己 oneself
There’s a tsunami coming and you want to be together with it by yourself (oneself) so you go to the harbor.
Reading: こう
As you look around at the harbor in your last moments you suddenly see someone in the water. It’s こういち! He’s sitting in an inner tube in the harbor waiting for the tsunami too.

Question 15

彼

Answer 15

He
Radicals: 彳loiter + 皮 skin
If you loiter around my skin, he will get angry at you. He’s my very protective friend, and you don’t wanna make him angry!
Readings: かれ, かの
He may get grumpy if you loiter around my skin, but a well-made curry (かれ) always brightens his mood. So give him some curry.

Question 16

暑

Answer 16

Hot
Radicals: 日 sun + 者 someone
When someone goes out in the sun, they get hot. That’s just how it is. Someone standing out in the sun for a long time will inevitably get hot. The sun is hot, and it makes you get hot too.
Reading: あつ
You need to get out of this hot sun and into some air conditioning. Then you remember there’s a great air conditioning unit at Suzie’s (あつ) house. Ah, Suzie – our savior! If you need me, I’ll be at Suzie’s place.

Question 17

湯

Answer 17

Hot water
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 易 easy
If there’s a tsunami it’s easy to get hot water. Just stick your hand out the window as the tsunami goes by and poof! That water’s HOT.
Reading: ゆ
As the hot water comes, you just lift up the bottom of the yurt (ゆ) you live in, and it comes flowing in. All of the cups, pots, and barrels you laid on your floor are now full of hot water.

Question 18

僕

Answer 18

I
Radicals: ｲ leader + 業 business
A leader of business? Ha! That’s me! That’s I!
Reading: ぼく
You use the word I a lot. You say it so much, you just start referring to yourself with the french beaucoup (ぼく) for a lot. Because you love yourself a lot.

Question 19

島

Answer 19

Island
Radicals: 鳥 bird + 山 mountain
A bird sits upon a mountain. If you look at the radicals, the bird is quite large and the mountain quite small. Think of this in the mnemonic as well. The reason the mountain is small is because you can only see the top of it, sticking out of the water. On it is the bird. This small mountain with the bird on it is an island.
Reading: しま
But this island doesn’t only belong to the bird. In fact, the bird shouldn’t be on this island, because it belongs to the Sheep Mama (しま), who is like Mother Nature but for sheep. The all-powerful Sheep Mama comes to kick the bird off the island, because this place is only for sheep! All hail the Sheep Mama.

Question 20

童

Answer 20

Juvenile
Radicals: 立 stand + 里 village
The people who stand in your village are juveniles. They aren’t babies, who crawl, and they aren’t adults who sit in front of their computers all day. They’re juveniles who stand.
Reading: どう
Right now all of the juveniles are standing in line to get doughnuts (どう). Free doughnuts, actually. Psh. Just like juveniles to get handouts, amirite?

Question 21

員

Answer 21

Member
Radicals: 口 mouth + 貝 shellfish
A shellfish with a mouth is a member of the invertebrate family. Yes, shellfish do have mouths, look it up!
Reading: いん
If you were a member of the same shellfish family, you’d be able to go to the special shellfish inn (いん). Every species has a members-only inn.

Question 22

商

Answer 22

Merchandise
Radicals: 立 stand + 冋 mustache + 儿 legs
A standing mustache with legs is able to sell merchandise. Most mustaches can’t stand because they don’t have legs. This mustache, however, does. It also has a keen business sense, which is why it’s selling merchandise.
Reading: しょう
The mustache is selling his merchandise so well that even the Shougun (しょう) notices. He leans down really close to the standing mustache man’s merchandise and stays very still. Then he snaps his fingers and his servants come rushing out to buy it all!

Question 23

都

Answer 23

Metropolis
Radicals: 者 someone + 阝building
Someone decided to build a bunch of buildings and turn them into a metropolis. You don’t know who they are, but now an absolute ton of other someones you don’t know also live here in these buildings and work in this busy metropolis.
Reading: と, つ
You try to picture the faces of all the people who live in this metropolis, but for some reason you can only picture their toes (と). And there are ten times as many toes in this city than someones.

Question 24

動

Answer 24

Move
Radicals: 重 heavy + 力 power
When something is heavy, you need a lot of power to move it. It’s not going to move unless you use a lot of power. That thing is heavy and unless you use all the power you got, it’s not moving.
Reading: どう
Remember that 1 ton weight? Well, actually it’s a doughnut (どう). A huge, massive, 1 ton doughnut. It’s super heavy and hard to move, but it’s delicious.

Question 25

第

Answer 25

Ordinal number prefix
Radicals: 竹 bamboo + 弟 younger brother
Bamboo’s younger brother is counted with an ordinal number prefix. An ordinal number is one that represents a position or rank in sequential order (like first, second, third, etc.). We use this ordinal number prefix before counting these things in Japanese sometimes. Like with bamboo, going down in order toward the youngest.
Reading: だい
To remember you need to use the ordinal number prefix before you count these bamboo, you dye (だい) them.

Question 26

期

Answer 26

Period of time
Radicals: 其 crab + 月 moon
A crab left on the moon for a period of time will surely die. Crabs aren’t meant for the moon, let alone outer space. Why would you take a crab to the moon? You take it outside the spaceship for any period of time and it will surely die.
Readings: き, ご
In order for this crab to live on the moon for any period of time, you’re going to need to put him in a special moon aquarium and lock the lid with a key (き). This crab is crafty, so after you lock it, take the key with you and don’t let it out of your sight for any period of time. This crab knows how to use a key.

Question 27

植

Answer 27

Plant
Radicals: 木 tree + 直 fix
If you want to fix a tree you have to plant it. It’s pretty obvious that digging up the tree broke it. So fix it by planting it again. That is how plants work.
Reading: しょく
If you don’t plant a tree it goes into shock (しょく). Which, honestly, shouldn’t be very shocking to you, since it’s a tree.

Question 28

根

Answer 28

Root
Radicals: 木 tree + 艮 root
A tree root is still just a root!
Reading: こん
Tree roots are the perfect roosting place for condors (こん). Unfortunately, living on roots is also why they’re always endangered. Condors can be killed pretty easily living on the ground on roots like this.

Question 29

短

Answer 29

Short
Radicals: 矢 arrow + 豆 beans
If you shoot a tall stalk of beans with an arrow, the bean plant will go from tall to short. When the beans are hit with that arrow, it severs the plant in two, and you are left with a stalk of beans that is much shorter than before.
Reading: たん
All this shooting of arrows to make the bean plants more short is taking a long time. Since you’re out in the sun, you’re starting to get a tan (たん). After the day is finally over, your tan is really, really dark.

Question 30

球

Answer 30

Sphere
Radicals: 王 king +求 request
The king requests a sphere! He didn’t say what kind though, so you’re going to have to figure it out and bring him the right kind of sphere.
Reading: きゅう
You can’t seem to find the sphere the king requested, so you take a break, sit down, and take out your lunch. “THAT!” the king screams, “THAT IS THE SPHERE I REQUESTED!” You look down and he’s pointing to the cut up cucumbers (きゅう) in your salad.

Question 31

泉

Answer 31

Spring
Radicals: 白 white + 水 water
White water shoots out from a spring in the ground. Due to the force the water shoots from the spring, the water looks white with all the air bubbles.
Reading: せん
The only creature powerful enough to withstand the force of these white water springs is the mythical centaur (せん). His horse body allows him to be stable and withstand the white water shooting up from the spring. Centaurs are pretty impressive creatures.

Question 32

流

Answer 32

Stream
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 𠫓 trash + 川 river
A tsunami lifts all the trash out of the river and it streams out onto the shores.
Readings: りゅう, る
Next to the trash stream you suddenly see Ryu (りゅう) from Street Fighter and he looks pissed. He’s furious that so many people throw their trash in the river and it causes streams like this.

Question 33

合

Answer 33

Suit
Radicals: 合 suit
The radical suit and the kanji suit are exactly the same! This kanji can also mean join which makes sense. When something suits you well, like a hat or something, it joins together with you quite well too. Join me, my hat! You suit my head well. It just fits, you know?
Readings: ごう, がっ
You need someone who will suit you. Someone who can join you on your life journey. So you call Grandpa ごういち.
Note: For the ごう reading mnemonics, we use Grandpa ごういち because こういち is used for the こう reading. So just remember that ごう comes from Koichi’s grandpa ごういち.

Question 34

陽

Answer 34

Sunshine
Radicals: 阝building + 易 easy
A building has easy access to sunshine. It’s big and tall, so the sunlight shines right onto its roof.
Reading: よう
Standing in sunshine for this long has worked up your appetite, so you take a yogurt (よう) cup out of your bag and eat it.

Question 35

歯

Answer 35

Tooth
Radicals: 止 stop + 凵 box + 米 rice
Stop! That box of rice is actually full of teeth! I know it says “rice” on the cover, but I promise you those are all teeth and if you bite into them you’ll break a tooth of your own.
Reading: は
Why do I have a rice box full of teeth? Ha (は)! Wouldn’t you like to know. Ha! I definitely have an answer that isn’t weird or creepy. Ha… ha ha…

Question 36

族

Answer 36

Tribe
Radicals: 方 direction + 𠂉 gun + 矢 arrow
If someone is headed in your direction with a gun, nock an arrow in your bow and gather your tribe behind you because it’s about to get real! This man with a gun is headed your direction and he doesn’t even know what you and your tribe are gonna do to him. If he gets any closer, you’re likely to shoot that arrow right at him
Reading: ぞく
When he starts to get closer, you notice that this guy is a bosozoku (ぞく) bike gang member. Bosozoku means “running tribe” and this guy is running right at you. With a gun. So gather your own tribe behind you and prepare to defend yourself against this bosozoku member.

Question 37

旅

Answer 37

Trip
Radicals: 方 direction + 𠂉 gun + 𠂢 (without the cliff radical) tofu
If your friendly neighborhood tofu takes a gun and points it in your direction, you might want to take a trip. This tofu obviously has something wrong with it. If it’s taking a gun and pointing it in your direction, now’s probably a good time to get away and take that trip you’d been talking about.
Reading: りょ
Your plan didn’t work and the tofu went on your trip with you. And now it’s wearing your hotel robe (りょ)! It looks so comfortable, wrapped up in the robe. That’s the best part of going on trips, and he stole it from you.

Question 38

待

Answer 38

Wait
Radicals: 彳 loiter + 寺 temple
People who loiter around the temple are probably just trying to wait. They don’t mean to look like they’re up to no good, but it’s hard to wait without looking suspicious when you’re waiting outside a temple.
Reading: たい
As you wait outside the temple, you can’t help but adjust your tie (たい). When you wait you get nervous, and when you get nervous you fidget. So now you’re messing with your tie a whole bunch.

Question 39

温

Answer 39

Warm
Radicals: 氵tsunami + 日 sun + 皿plate
After a tsunami, any plate left out in the sun will be sure to get warm. The tsunami knocked this plate out of the kitchen, and now it’s just sitting outside in the sun. The sun heats things, so the plate is getting really warm.
Reading: おん
The plate starts to get so warm that you could fry an onion (おん) on it. Who doesn’t love fried onions? That plate sure is warm enough, so start cookin’ ‘em!

Question 40

着

Answer 40

Wear
Radicals: 羊 sheep + 目 eye
There are sheep right before your eyes, because they just love what you wear. It’s a little known fact that sheep are fashionistas, and they arrive daily to admire your style. These sheep are so stylish they wear their tail to one side - in the latest fashion (check out the sheep radical - the tail is sweeping stylishly to the left!).
Reading: ちゃく
More sheep arrive every day to admire the clothes you’re wearing. You use a chalk (ちゃく) board to keep count of how many sheep come by each day.